Counterpartless
by starfruit-kitten
Summary: Two or so years before Ryuuko's death, Nori, a Neutral comes and goes between the Palaces of Light and Shadow. She annoys Shirogane for fun and goofs off with Kou. But when certain things are accidentally witnessed, things get complicated for the Neutral and everyone else involved. Contains (failed) yaoi and language. Ryuuko/Shirogane and Homurabi/Shisui
1. Chapter 1

**Hello fanfic readers! This is my first fanfic ever! :D Reviews and suggestions are greatly appreciated.**

**This takes place about two or so years before Ryuuko's death mainly in the Shadow and Light Palaces.**

**starfruit-kitten: **Time for the disclaimer! Homurabi! *drags him over* Would you do the honors of telling them what I'd rather not say?

**Homurabi:** Uh, sure...? As much as starfruit-kitten would like to, she does not own Monochrome Factor or any of it's characters. It all belongs to Kaili Sorano. The OC (Nori) is hers though.

**Shirogane: **Thank heavens she never will...

**starfruit-kitten: **Does the almighty Direct Royal of Shin have a problem with me or something?

**Shirogane: **Yes. You and that OC keep harassing me!

**starfruit-kitten:** I have done no such thing! ...have I...? O_o

**Shirogane: **Just leave me alone unless you wish to die!

**starfruit-kitten: **You're no fun! 3 Oh well... *turns to reader* enjoy the fanfic! ;)

**Shirogane: **...who are you even talking to?

**Warning: Some mild language (like... two words?) and possible mature content (yoai!) in later chapters. (MWAHAHA!)**

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Chapter 1

Nori's POV

It had started off as any other day for Nori. The always inconvenient wakeup call from Lulu or another someone else, having to deal with the occasional smartass Kokuchi, training her powers, the usual. Her life seemed to be one big eternal rut!

Even though she lived in the both the Shadow and Light Palaces, she wasn't really a Shin or a Rei. She was some "strange Shin/Rei hybrid that didn't belong in the Shadow Palace" according to Sawaki, whose opinion was nothing more than meaningless words to Nori. Regardless of what she was, Shirogane (the Direct Royal of Shin) and Ryuuko (the Direct Royal of Rei) took her in.

Nori had always been rather antisocial towards most people (especially Sawaki) and spent most of her time lying in midair staring into what looked like an endless nothingness. But that would all change very soon.

"Nori-chan!" Lulu called from the hallway below Nori, as cheerful and bubbly as always. "Where are you Nori-chan?"

"Up here!" Nori replied, lazily looking down, sending long black and white bangs into her copper face. Her pale grey eyes showing little interest in anything.

"Shirogane-sama wants to talk to you and asked Lulu to look for you." The pink pigtailed girl beamed, looking up at Nori. Other than Shirogane and Homurabi, Lulu was the only Shin who would actually converse with her.

She sighed. "Alright, I'll go see him." Not really wanting to get up, Nori simply dropped from her nonexistent platform, and landed with catlike reflexes.

THUD!

Her heavy combat boots hit the ground. Their grey chains rattled slightly. She smoothed the wrinkles in her ebony tailcoat-like dress, and started down the black and white checkered hall.

Lulu giggled, "Shirogane-sama's the other way!"

"Oh… thanks Lulu!" Nori laughed at her own horrible sense of direction. Turning on her heals to face the other direction, she stopped, unsure of where she was supposed to be headed. "Where am I going?"

Lulu's giggle erupted into uncontrollable laughter. After a few minutes of waiting for Lulu to clam down, she finally said between laughs: "second left…, first two rights, and then another left. Haha! It's the fifth door to your left!"

Nori smiled. "Thank you Lulu!" she exclaimed, running past the still laughing Shin.

_There's no way I'll be able to remember that. _Nori thought to herself. _What did she say? Second left, first three rights and another left?_ "Why the hell is this place so freaking huge?"

Lost in thought and trying to figure out if she was even headed the right way, she slammed into something tall and covered in black as she turned a corner. The impact sent her flying back by about a meter and skidding another few feet on her rear.

"Ugh... dammit…" she swore under her breath, slowly forcing herself into a sitting position. Her rear ached terribly.

An outstretched hand appeared before her. "That was quite a hit. Watch were you're going next time you decide to rampage through the Palace." Nori looked up, seeing the owner of the hand and familiar cold tone.

"Shirogane!" she gasped, taking his hand and slowly made her way to her feet. "I'm sorry; I wasn't really looking where I was going."

"Its fine," the silver haired king waved his hand as if brushing away the current situation. "You were wasting too much time being helplessly lost as always, so I decided to drag you back myself. You're just as bad, if not worse than Ryuuko at arriving on time."

Grabbing Nori by the arm, Shirogane led her down nearly a dozen halls until they reached the large main doors of the palace. "Where are we going?" she enquired, lightly struggling to escape the Royal's grasp. It was useless; his hand was like a reinforced steal bear trap! "You're not kicking me out are you? In my defense, I don't really do anything around here because there's never anything for me to do!"

"Shut up and calm down!" Shirogane scowled, releasing Nori's now sore arm at long last. "You will be going to the Light Palace for a while."

"Oh," Nori chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry 'bout that…"

"Just go." Shirogane ordered; face palming as he turned to the palace doors. His stunningly long silver hair and black white-trimmed cape were elegantly flowing behind him.

"Hey, wait!" Nori demanded, grabbing onto Shirogane's sleeve. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you since I arrived here five years ago."

Shirogane's POV

The Royal sighed, "Alright, what is it?" he turned around to face the short Neutral, impatiently shooing her hand off his sleeve.

Nori pressed a finger between his eyebrows. "How is it that you can scowl like that all the time and not get any wrinkles?"

Shirogane felt his eye twitch._ The nerve of that little brat!_ "Leave! NOW!" he bellowed, restraining himself from violently beating Nori to kingdom come (literally). As far as Shirogane knew, she was the only person, other than Ryuuko and his damned dog, who was capable of bringing about his murderous intent. "Unless you have a death wish, I suggest you go be a nuisance elsewhere."

A smug smile of pure satisfaction in her work spread across Nori's pink lips. "Alright, alright, I'm going." she laughed, leisurely walking in the direction of the door to the Light Palace. Shirogane hoped she could feel the numerous katana he was glaring into her back. "I'm glad my ability to enrage you is still as sharp as ever!"

"…arrogant…little brat…" the ticking time bomb of a Royal colorfully swore as inaudibly as he could, storming back to the palace in a huff.

"Is she giving you a hard time again?" he heard Homurabi, the King of Shin, chuckle inwardly from inside the palace. He caught a glimpse of Homurabi's short ruby hair as he angrily sped in through the door. The tall Shin walked beside him as he strode down the hall. "You really should try to watch your temper. You wouldn't want to injure the girl would you?"

"Is that an option?" He glared up at the overly amused Shin.

"Relax," the lesser king laughed, which seemed to piss Shirogane off just as much as the Neutral had. The diamond on his forehead moved as he cocked an eyebrow, pissing Shirogane off even more. "I'm sure you'll be able to tame her eventually"

Nori's POV

"Oh, shut up!" Nori barely heard Shirogane scoff, likely glaring daggers at some wall far in front of him. _I pity that poor wall,_ she though.

Now determined to keep off the emotionally unstable Royal's bad side, Nori set off for the Light Palace. Although the stone labyrinth between palaces and the human world looked all the same in everyway with its yellow-grey brick structures, the route she usually took was rather simple: go straight until you see a large grey-white pillar and continue left to a large white door. The door itself was usually locked, but Nori figured out how to pick it using her dagger or the sharp parts of a Kokuchi. With a loud click, the door was open, granting her access to the residence of Rei.

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**Thank you very much for reading my first fanfic! Reviews and suggestions are very much appreciated. (sorry for repeating myself) **

**I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll work on the next chapter soon so I can post it eventually.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello people who bothered to read the second chapter of this!**

**Recap:** Although the stone labyrinth between palaces and the human world looked all the same in everyway with its yellow-grey brick structures, the route she usually took was rather simple: go straight until you see a large grey-white pillar and continue left to a large white door. The door itself was usually locked, but Nori figured out how to pick it using her dagger or the sharp parts of a Kokuchi. With a loud click, the door was open, granting her access to the residence of Rei.

**starfruit-kitten: **And now... the dreaded disclaimer. x_x Ryuuko, please read this. *hands paper to Ryuuko*

**Ryuuko:** Alright. Monochrome Factor and all it's characters belong to Kaili Soran. starfruit-kitten only owns the OC (Nori). By the way, where's Shirogane?

**starfruit-kitten: **Sadly, he's not in this chapter.

**Shirogane: **Thank Kokuchi for that...

**Ryuuko: **Aha! :O He is here!

**Shirogane: **Oh, hello Ryuuko. How are you?

**Ryuuko:** Good, good! How are things in the Shadow World?

**The conversation goes on...**

**starfruit-kitten:** *to reader* Seeing as we don't have time for this right now, please enjoy this chapter. ^_^

**Shirogane:** Seriously, who is she talking to?

******Warning: Some mild language (hardly any...) and possible mature content in later chapters. (MWAHAHA!)**  


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Chapter 2

Nori's POV

Nori absolutely hated passing between elements! It always gave her a terrible headache, and she never really bothered to look at what was going on around her while crossing the barrier.

The Light Palace looked no different from the Shadow Palace, other than the colors being opposite. She found it to be rather ironic how most things were black in the world of light. Either way, Nori was still helplessly lost in such a large building.

As always, Kou was there to greet her at the main doors. Kou was Ryuuko's "dog" whose voice could only be heard by the Direct Royal of Rei for the time being. His shiny white coat swayed with every energetic step he took. Even in the human world, Nori had never seen a wolf as big or happy-go-lucky as Kou.

"So, how've you been poochy?" she asked using Lulu's nickname for him. Kou, who was obviously not amused, turned his large furry head and started glaring daggers into Nori's head. His golden eyes felt more like flaming arrows than daggers. "Sorry, sorry, I've known you since you were a newborn, so of course I know your name is Kou! Lulu talks about wanting to play with you again quite often, so it's become a habit to call you poochy."

Kou barked. Nori assumed he forgave her, since she wasn't fluent in wolf. He led her to a fairly large black door with two big elaborately engraved silver handles. He barked again, as if telling her to go in.

"Ryuuko's in there, right? Thanks a bunch Kou!" Nori beamed, ruffling the soft fur on the wolf's head. She giggled, "You've always been like a little brother to me, so I'd like to thank you for that as well."

Kou's ears perked up. He probably thought of her as an older sibling as well.

The door creaked violently as Nori gently pushed it open. Cautiously poking her head though the crack, she saw Ryuuko, who was sitting at a sleek black desk, look up from whatever paperwork he was doing and smile at her. His long raven black hair falling over his right shoulder and onto the book in which he was writing. "It's good to see you again Nori!"

"Hey, Ryuuko!" Nori exclaimed casually, slipping in through the open door. Unlike Shirogane, Ryuuko didn't care much about formality. "How's the paperwork?"

"Boring, as usual," he chuckled inwardly. "Did you get lost on your way here again?"

Nori sighed, "Yes, Shirogane was pretty ticked off about it and to make things worse, I asked a simple question and now he's a ticking time bomb of murderous intent! I'll have to apologize to Homurabi and Lulu for leaving them with him when he's like that…"

"What did you ask him this time?" the Rei asked, getting up from his chair. His long white coat was slightly wrinkled. _How late am I? Had he been sitting there the whole time?_ He walked over to her, grinning his brotherly grin and casually rested his elbow on her head. _Why the hell is everyone so much taller than me?_

Nori shrugged. "All I wanted to know was how he could scowl like this-" she childishly mimicked the Royal Shin's signature scowl, pointing to her eyebrows, "-all the time and not get any wrinkles."

"I've always wondered about that myself… did he give you an answer?"

"No, he viciously stormed off and muttered every word he could possibly think of to describe me; all of which far too indecent to repeat to anyone."

Ryuuko laughed, "I would have expected noting less from him!"

"You really know Shirogane well, don't you?" Nori grinned, curiously glancing over at Ryuuko's unorganized stacks of paperwork.

For a second, Nori could have sworn she saw the Rei blush. Though it was probably just her imagination, she knew what she saw.

"We have known each other for a very long time, so I suppose," he replied rather calmly.

Nori could tell that the Royal was thinking of Shirogane, since his cheeks were slightly flushed. There were so many questions she wanted to ask the Rei, all of which would be incredibly awkward for the both of them. After giving it some thought, she asked the least awkward question she could think of: "so, between you and Shirogane, who's the seme?" she managed to voice as indifferently and uninterested (though she was dying to know) as she could.

"I… I'm sorry, but I don't know what you are referring to," Ryuuko's face started to turn a subtle rosy pink. He turned his attention to the door, as if something was actually there. "Hey, why don't you and Kou keep each other company a while. I'm sure he's lonely sitting outside the door right now."

As if on queue, Kou's tail swished past the door. "Well, you might be better at eavesdropping if you were to be a little quieter," The Royal teased.

…silence...

"It's not like you'd be any better at it if I wasn't the only one who can hear your voice." Ryuuko folded his arms in annoyance… the good kind.

Nori giggled.

_"Thank heavens I didn't answer her question_,_"_ said Ryuuko in a quiet and partially muffled voice.

"Did you say something just now?" Nori questioned suspiciously. _Why would he even say that aloud in the first place?_

"Huh…?" the Rei looked about as clueless as she was. "No, why?"

Nori blinked. What the hell just happened? Even though he was clueless and naïve when it came to certain things, Nori highly doubted that Ryuuko was clueless enough to forget the last thing he said.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask another question." Nori said, deciding to ignore whatever it was that just happened.

_"This certainly won't end well…"_ he said in that muffled voice again. But strangely, his mouth didn't move.

_Holy Hakua, I'm reading his mind!_

"Alright," Ryuuko smiled, despite the skeptic look Nori was giving him. "What would you like to know?"

Nori slowly started to circle the Royal of Rei, staring at his beyond floor length hair. "Your hair… how is it that you never seem to get your hair caught in doors? This stuff is floor'd for crying out loud!"

The Royal looked down at his hair. "_Since when did it get __**this**__ long?"_ he thought.

"Huh… who knows…" he smiled at her, then looked back down to the floor'd locks. Nori felt her eye twitch.

_Well I'll be damned… _Nori thought. She was beginning to understand how Shirogane felt whenever she or Ryuuko spoke to him. _He really is that clueless after all…_

"Well, we're off!" Nori shouted, running past the now pondering Royal and through the open door and nearly tripping on Kou, who followed almost immediately. "Holler if you need anything!"

Kou's POV

Nori and Kou spent the next few hours roughhousing and playing merciless games of mercy. All of which ended with Kou lying on Nori's back. He rather enjoyed watching the Neutral struggle to shake him off, which was nearly impossible. He enjoyed listening to her complain about him being as heavy as a lead statue. He even enjoyed it when Nori would put him in a bone-crushing headlock, only to be flipped over and trapped underneath him yet again. But he especially enjoyed resting his head on Nori's flat, but still squishy chest, listening to her fast heartbeat and heavy breathing after playfully abusing each other for the hell of it.

"Hey, Kou," she panted, stroking his fur. Her gentle hand felt nice. "You really seem to like spending time with me, don't you?"

There were so many things Kou wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her about the roughhousing, the headlocks, the melody that her voice produced while nagging him to get off, but couldn't. Not because he was nervous or afraid of doing so, quite the contrary. Even if he told her about everything he enjoyed about being with her, she wouldn't be able to hear his voice anyway. All he could do was to bark contently.

"I see…" Nori smiled, slowly drifting to sleep. Her voice was as gentle as her touch.

Kou, whose head was still rested on Nori's chest, watched her nod off to sleep, still smiling at him. He watched her slumber peacefully for a while. _She looks so cute like that._ He thought, admiring the look of tranquility on her face. Almost nodding off himself, he heard her mumble what sounded like a love confession, he thought it was anyway. He was shocked to hear her say something like that, even unintentionally in her sleep. The last word she breathed surprised him the most.

"…Kou…"

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**Thanks for reading! Reviews and suggestions are appreciated.**

**Well, it's back to school in a few days (yay...! note the sarcasm) meaning that I won't have much time to work on new chapters because of any dragon-lady teachers I may have. I will try to post new chapters soon (eventually... maybe...)**

**I sincerely hope you all _had_** **a wonderful summer and that you have a great time going back to school! ...che... as if that's even possible...**

**UWAAAAAA! Dx I wanna go back yet!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again!**

**So, chapter 3... Enjoy!**

**starfruit-kitten:** Shirogane. Disclaimer. GO!

**Shirogane:** ...fine. You all have no idea how reliefed I am starfruit-kitten does not own Monochrome Factor or anything of its characters.

**starfruit-kitten:** Why are you so mean?

**Shirogane:** -death glare- Why are you so annoying?

**starfruit-kitten:** Homurabi, help!

**Homurabi:** -laughs- Please, enjoy this chapter of Counterpartless.

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Chapter 3

Shirogane's POV

It had been over a week since Shirogane had sent the Neutral to the Light Palace. He was relieved to finally be rid of that thorn in his side for at least a month or so. Everything seemed more peaceful with her gone. Although his earlier conversation with Lulu was rather stressful, it was nothing compared to being constantly harassed by the Neutral. But if he were human, he was almost certain he would have died of high blood pressure long ago because of that girl.

_That arrogant brat has no idea how much I'd enjoy carrying out that death wish of hers!_ He thought as he strode to the door to the palace of light. _But if I did that, Ryuuko would never let me hear the end of it. Speaking of that bastard, he has __**a lot**__ of explaining to do!_

He paused.

"Ugh… why me?" he groaned, irritably running his fingers through his hair.

Much to his dismay, he had an urgent meeting with Ryuuko in the Light Palace. To make matters worse, he didn't know what for. Though he wanted to see Ryuuko, he wished they could meet at the Shadow Palace instead. Just the thought of possibly crossing paths with that living nightmare of a Neutral gave him a headache. Regardless, he turned the golden handle of the large white door and left.

Ryuuko's POV

Ryuuko sat on a windowsill and looked out at the black and white courtyard, listening to the various sounds of Kou and Nori running amuck somewhere in the palace. He didn't mind the noise. In fact, he found it to be quite relaxing. He didn't know why he felt so anxious; Shirogane would show up on time, as always, and likely have a scowl on his face for being called in without a valid or even half-assed explanation.

"Good afternoon, Ryuuko," Shisui greeted, scaring the living light out of Ryuuko. "Waiting for Shirogane?"

"Ah, it's Shisui!" Ryuuko chuckled nervously. "It's that obvious huh?"

The lime haired Rei king smiled, "don't worry, I'm sure he'll understand your feelings."

He seemed to leave as soon as he came, likely sensing Ryuuko's need for only one person at the moment.

Though he thought Shisui's ability to hear thoughts was amazing, it freaked him out a bit when it was his thoughts being read. He couldn't help but wonder how much of his thoughts and intentions Shisui was now aware of...

Thinking of the neon Rei's words seemed to calm him. Ryuuko let his mind drift. All he could seem to think of was Shirogane: his porcelain skin, his icy sapphire eyes that could easily melt hearts, his silky silver hair, his naturally pink lips, his slightly aggressive, but mostly caring nature, everything.

And before he knew it, he was asleep.

xXxXx

"Ryu… o…"

A familiar voice was calling out to him.

"…ko… Ryuuko…!" the voice continued.

Ryuuko slowly began to open his eyes, a beautiful figure appearing before him.

_An angel?_ He thought. The figure was slowly coming into focus. He could make out deep blue eyes, long silver hair, and pink lips. _Shirogane… close enough!_

"Damn it, Ryuuko," Shirogane frowned, rhythmically (brutally) slapping Ryuuko's face in an attempt to wake him up. "You call me over for an urgent meeting and you're sleeping when I get here! What kind of an idiot does that?"

"Shirogane…" Ryuuko yawned, still feeling groggy despite the unnecessary slap attack. He swung his legs, which felt as heavy as stone, off the windowsill. He clung to Shirogane's black coat in hopes of not toppling over, but dizziness was beginning to overwhelm him.

The Shin shot him a death glare. It may have scared most people, but Ryuuko found it to be rather attractive. "Do you even take your responsibilities as a Royal seriously? And you still haven't given me a reason why I'm here in the first place! I certainly hope that for your sake it wasn't to watch you sleep the day awa—"

Nori's POV

Nori had spent most of the week goofing off with Kou, teasing Ryuuko in a sisterly way (though it never seemed to work), and having interesting conversations with Shisui. All in all, it was peaceful. Though strange things had started to happen to her just the other day…

"This is so cool!" she exclaimed, staring at her own body lying unconscious in the middle of the palace. Her hands were elegantly folded across her heart, and her hair was sprawled across the floor. To anyone else, it would just look like she fell asleep in a random place again. But it felt as if her soul (or whatever Shins/Reis have) had left it's now empty vessel and no one could see or hear her. "Now then, who can I spy on?"

She thought she saw something red out of the corner of her eye. _It looks like Homurabi's here. I wonder if he's going to see Shisui._

Without second thoughts, she followed him, maintaining a safe distance in case he became aware of her presence. After stalking the autumn haired Shin for a while, he stopped, and she hid behind a large black arch.

Poking her head around her hiding spot, she saw Shisui staring out a large window. He didn't seem to notice Homurabi, who was only a meter or so away from him. Without a doubt, there was definitely something a little… off… about Homurabi.

Suddenly, Shisui turned around. "Hello, Homurabi," he smiled up at his other half, who appeared to be frozen in place. "I didn't know you were coming to visit today."

Homurabi crossed his arms, "what, can't I come visit you from time to time?"

Shisui chuckled, causing Homurabi to blush and turn his head in an epically failed attempt to hide it, making the spring haired Rei to laugh even more. Even Nori found herself laughing a little.

"I don't see what's so funny," Homurabi grumbled.

"I'm sorry," Shisui said once he calmed down a bit, clinging to Homurabi's arm to keep from falling over. His topaz eyes were warmly gazing into Homurabi's acid green ones.

"No need to apologize for it," Homurabi turned his head yet again. His face was nearly the same colour as his scarlet hair.

_So __**that's**__ what's going on here…_

Homurabi's POV

It wasn't long before Homurabi's face regained its usual colour. A smug, yet hopefully seductive smile stretched across his lips as he returned his gaze to Shisui, who blushed a pale red almost immediately.

Resting his left hand on the small of Shisui's back, Homurabi pulled him in and tilted his chin upward.

"H-Homurabi," his counterpart stuttered as the Shin's hand gracefully inched its way down his back, making him shiver slightly. "You do know we're being watched right now." He glanced towards a large black arch.

Homurabi had noticed it too. It was very faint, but there was definitely someone spying on them. However, he wasn't about to let that ruin his time alone with Shisui.

He began to stroke Shisui's delicate sides and back, sending small shivers of pleasure down the shorter man's spine and making him moan with each gentle movement. The Rei King buried his face in Homurabi's shoulder to conceal his burning cheeks.

"You're so sensitive, Shisui," Homurabi purred, beckoning the Rei even closer. Whatever space that remained between them had been compressed into nonexistence. He could feel Shisui's heart beating hard.

_He looks so innocent..._ He thought, smiling a little. He sure hoped Shisui knew how much he was restraining himself right now…

In the end, it was useless. Something inside Homurabi seemed to snap, for he found himself on top of the Rei King, pinning him down by the wrists and hips.

Homurabi leaned closer to his victim, leaving only mere millimeters between their lips. "I love you, Shisui," he breathed before firmly pressing his lips against Shisui's, which were surprisingly soft.

The Rei, who was obviously enjoying this **way** too much for his own good, put up no resistance when Homurabi's tongue slipped into his mouth. Shisui's warmth engulfed Homurabi, driving him mad.

Homurabi remove his hands from the Rei's wrists, holding himself up with one and caressing Shisui's cheek with the other. He felt Shisui's hands wrap around his neck and entangle themselves in his scarlet hair and pull him closer. Much to Homurabi's surprise, Shisui started kissing back nearly as hungrily as he himself was.

For what felt like an eternity of pure bliss, they kissed… and kissed… and kissed… and kissed…

xXxXx

…and kissed… and kissed… and kissed…

What had started as a sudden kiss had now become something more violent, suffocating, and passionate.

As enjoyable as it was, Homurabi broke the kiss out of concern for Shisui's lack of air. A short trail of saliva hung from both their mouths.

"…I lo-…!" Shisui gasped, nearly out of breath. "I… love you too!"

"I should make you desperate for air more often, especially if you'll continue to make such a face." Homurabi smirked. Shisui's eyes were half shut and his face was about as red as a strawberry, and the Shin's was likely just as red.

Shisui smiled, still trying to regain his breath, "Homurabi, you are aware of how sadistic you can be, right?"

"Hey," Homurabi laughed as he sat up. "It's not my fault I can't control myself around y—"

"H-Homurabi," Shisui winced as he turned his head. His green hair partially covered his face. "Can you please get off?"

Homurabi blinked. _What the hell?_ He thought.

He shifted to get up off of the Rei, but stopped. There was something poking him. He looked at Shisui; whose face was tinted red and refused to make eye contact.

The Shin sighed. In a situation like this, there was only one thing that could be said:

"Well… this is awkward…"

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Gomenasai! Désolé! \(QoQ)/ I'm so sorry for the big big ball of cheese you just read! This was the first time I have EVER written about something like this, so... yeah...

I'm very sorry if Homurabi and (especially) Shisui were out of character. I tried my best, please don't hurt me!

Well, I finished this a lot sooner than I thought I would. Since the Frenchies (myself included) had a major mix-up with our schedules, we ended up with two social studies classes (in english and french). But, we got things straightened out and (for the time being) have a whole hour everyday to slack off and do whatever.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 is finally finished!**

**starfruit-kitten: **Um... Kou, the disclaimer please?

**Kou:** Woof. _(Monochrome Factor and it's characters belong to Kaili Sorano, thankfully not starfruit-kitten.)_

**starfruit-kitten: **Why does everyone keep saying that?

**Kou: **Woof! _(You're even more abusive than Shirogane!)_

**starfruit-kitten: **I am not. -sigh- Please, enjoy the dang chapter!

**Warning: this chapter contains coarse language (in more than one language), suggested yaoi content and Kou. Read at your own risk.**

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Chapter 4

Nori's POV

HOLY FREAKING KOKUCHI! What the Hakua did she just watch?

Nori looked around the corner of the large black arch she was hiding behind. It seemed as though Homurabi and Shisui had finished making out with each other, since the Shin King was… sitting on Shisui…?

"Well, I can cross watching two men kiss for like ten minutes off my bucket list," she sarcastically sighed, holding a hand over her face to conceal her perverted blush, though no one could see her. She smiled, "I wish you two the best!"

Homurabi looked up from Shisui and turned his attention to where Nori was standing. Praying to whatever it was Shin or Rei were supposed to pray to that he didn't see her; she ducked behind the arch yet again.

"Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit shit! Merde!" Nori hyperventilated the only words that could register in her mind at the moment. If anyone could see her now, she'd resemble a starfish pressed against a windshield going 200km/h. "Tabernac! Pourquoi est-ce que ces choses toujours vont si mauditement mal pour moi?!"*

She waited. Every tedious second felt like an eternity of angst.

It hadn't even been a minute since she was nearly caught when she heard fabric rustling, a loud thud and what she though was a low squeak from Shisui.

"No, please stop," Shisui complained. "Homurabi, stop! N-no, not there! Hah!"

An amused, yet slightly evil chuckle erupted from Homurabi. More questionably disturbing sounds came from Shisui not long after.

Did Nori dare look to see what was happening?

"Ngh! Sto—Ah!"

_Fuck no!_

Un-plastering herself from the wall, she ran in the direction she was almost certain she had left her body.

xXxXx

Her body was exactly as she left it: lying in the middle of nowhere in particular, hands on heart, hair everywhere. The only thing different was the fact that Kou was frantically pawing at her right shoulder, likely wondering if she was dead.

She watched the panicked pooch for a good two minutes. Seeming to give up, Kou took a few steps away for the vacant body. He then began to circle around to the legs and stopped. What he did next was something Nori had never thought the little-brother-like wolf would ever dare to do.

Kou had pawed up Nori's dress just enough to expose her teal underwear. He cocked his head and made that sounds dogs make when they're confused. He then began poking at questionable places with his nose.

"Kou, you are such a fucking pervert!" Nori screamed, though the hound didn't hear her. "I swear on the forced of dark and light that I will fucking murder you, you stupid perverted bastard!"

In a flash of grey light, she was back in her body. She could feel Kou the Almighty Pervert Wolf poke her again.

Kou's POV

SMACK!

Nori violently struck Kou square in the head. A demonic aura was seeping out of her, making the wolf cower in fear for whatever life he still had left.

_Crap…_

"I never would have guessed that you were the type to take advantage of a girl's vacant body like that…!" The Neutral smiled wryly, landing a punch on Kou's side. "But don't worry, I'll make sure that never happens again, ya fuckin' piece of lecherous canine shit!"

The more Nori's sadistic smile grew, the more Kou slowly backed away. He was doing rather well thus far, considering that he wasn't dead yet.

Either way, he regretted nothing!

"You're lucky you're a wolf," the Neutral was still smiling, though she had the flaming purple eyes of a psychopathic killer. "Otherwise, I would show you no mercy and stab you where it hurts…!"

Kou was roundhouse kicked across the large open space, hitting a large black pillar with a loud crunch and plummeting to the checkered ground. If it were anyone else abusing him so much over something so minor, he would have fought back. But since it was Nori, he couldn't bring himself to do so.

The neutral started to run towards him._ I'm a dead wolf now... I don't blame Nori for wanting me dead…_ He thought, expecting a finishing blow.

It never came.

"I'm so sorry, Kou…" Nori knelt beside the not-even-close-to-being-severely injured wolf. She gingerly touched the side of his face, which hurt in a good way. Her eyes shifted from purple to their usual grey. "I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you. It's just… it's just that I had bad experiences with… and I… I…"

Hot tears began to roll down the Neutral's dark cheeks and landed on Kou's white fur. She gently hugged Kou's head, weeping softly over beating him up more than she usually did.

_"Nori, it's alright. I'm fine, and I'm sorry."_ Kou said, even though his voice would not be heard. _"I didn't mean to psychologically break you… I was only… curious…?"_

Nori sighed, "It's alright. At least I know to never wear skirts around you… and just how damn curious about _those kinds of things_ you are…"

_Can she hear my voice?_

"Of course I can hear you, maudite chien!"*

_"…eh…?"_

"I said I can hear you," she hugged him tighter, nearly suffocating him. "What are you, deaf?"

Kou smiled. So she could hear him, this would certainly make everything much easier for him.

_"So, how do I sound?"_ He asked as the Neutral stood up, letting him go.

Nori chuckled, turning away from the wolf, "honestly, kind of sexy…"

There was a long pause. Either Kou was hearing things, or that really happened.

"So," Nori finally broke the ever so awkward silence. "What now?"

"_Well, I did see Shirogane-san not too long ago…"_

"Perfect!" the Neural beamed. "He's probably having a meeting with Ryuuko right now. Do you know where he went?"

_"I know where Ryuuko-sama is, so he likely went there," _Kou thought aloud, standing up again. _"But what are you planning on…"_

"Isn't it obvious," Nori ruffled the fur on Kou's head, which surprisingly didn't hurt anymore. "**_We_** are going to eavesdrop! Now, lead the way Kou!"

Since resistance was likely futile, he lead her to the Royals, and possibly his own death by the hands of an angry Shin.

* * *

**Thanks a bunch for reading chapter 4! I'm sorry for the lack of Homurabi x Shisui, Ryuuko x Shirogane, and yaoi in general. However, there was still perversion and rage... that's close enough, isn't it?**

**Since I speak French, I decided to make Nori speak French too.**

***A guide to the French parts for the non-French speaking people: **

**"Merde" - shit, crap, etc.**

**"Tabernac" - fuck (not a verb); tabernacle**

**"Pourquoi est-ce que ces choses toujours vont si mauditement mal pour moi" - directly translated as "why do these things always go so damn wrong for me"**

**"Maudite chien" - damn dog**


	5. Chapter 5

**An now, chapter 5! Sorry for the wait, I had a bad case of writers block when it came to certain parts of this chapter...**

**starfruit-kitten:** If you've read all the other chapters of this fic, then you probably know that Monochrome Factor belongs to Kaili Sorano, not me. So I don't see why I _still _have to write a disclaimer...

**Shirogane: **Please, stop writing the disclaimer and go to prison already! I have more important matters to attend to, rather than be an uke in this twisted story of yours!

**starfruit-kitten:** You sir, are a cold-hearted son of a Kokuchi! :O

**Shirogane: **Whatever, let's just get this over with... (-_-);

**Warning: this chapter contains coarse language, mild yaoi content, an angry Shin, and a pedophile-like Rei. Read at your own risk.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Shirogane's POV

Ryuuko was kissing him. He comes over for a supposedly "urgent" meeting, gives the Royal of Rei hell for sleeping when he got there, just to be kissed by that unpredictable bastard. He didn't completely hate it, but somehow, it confused him.

_Shit, not again!_ He though as he recalled similar events that had occurred a few decades previous. The only difference from then and now was that Shirogane actually felt something other than hate towards Ryuuko, though he didn't know what this strange feeling was.

"Shirogane, come with me," the Rei beamed after breaking the waste of time he likely called a kiss and got up from the windowsill. He started towards the west of the palace, clinging to Shirogane's black sleeve.

"As _lovely_ as that sounds," Shirogane said sarcastically, jerking his sleeve away from Ryuuko. "I'd rather not be molested by you again. I have better things to do with my time."

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"_Fun_? Are you fucking kidding me!?" Shirogane fired off a death glare. "What part of being raped by the likes of a stupid bastard like you is _fun_!? You might enjoy it, but for me, it's downright painful!"

Ryuuko stared at him inquisitively, tilting his head an inch or so to the left. "Really? You never said anything about it before."

_That __**idiot**__!_

"I'll be taking my leave now," the Shin growled coldly. Even though he'd known Ryuuko for who knows how many years of agony and frustration on his part, it still amazed him as to how utterly stupid he was.

Before he could even take two steps, the Rei had tightly wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "Where do you think you're going?" he whispered into Shirogane's ear.

Shirogane fiercely broke away from Ryuuko's grasp. "As far away from you as physically possible," he growled through clenched teeth as he stormed away from the anything-but-subtle man.

Ryuuko pouted, "How cruel of you, Shirogane~."

"I don't care!"

"Ne~, Shirogane is so cute when he's angry!"

Shirogane stopped, "Excuse me?" he demanded as he turned to face the raven haired man.

"I said you're cute," Ryuuko grinned, strolling over to the Shin. "Not in a girly way or anything like that. That would be really awkward if I had meant it like that, but you're still very cute, Shirogane."

Shirogane facepalmed, "Ryuuko, you truly are an idiot..."

"And you truly are as hopeless as I always thought you were."

"You're one to talk," the Shin scoffed. He glanced towards the Rei, who was smiling warmly.

"I'm not as clueless as you think I am," Ryuuko smiled, drawing closer to the silver haired man.

Shirogane took a step back, "I find that rather hard to believe."

"Oh? Why not?" The Rei's smile was now smug. He stepped towards the Shin as if challenging him to something or another. It was pretty difficult to tell what passes through that bastard's empty skull. Ryuuko leaned forward, leaving only mere centimeters between their lips.

_Well, if I need to spell it out for him, so be it._

"You never take you role as a Royal responsibly, you're naïve, childish, idiotic, and always manage to piss me off!" Shirogane asserted. "Is that enough of an explanation, or need I continue?"

Ryuuko's smile disappeared. His calm ruby eyes were devoid of even the faintest shred of happiness. He looked both shocked and pained, but what did Shirogane care?

His counterpart looked down at the checkered floor dejectedly, "I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you so much…"

A mix of piercing guilt and heartache washed over Shirogane like a massive tidal wave. Why did he feel so awful? "Ryuuko…" he muttered, sympathetically caressed the Rei's face. A black gloved hand met his.

_Wait… what the hell am I doing?!_

"You're hand's cold," Ryuuko snuggled against Shirogane's hand. "It feels nice."

Shirogane's face suddenly felt flushed, and his heart was beating at least five times faster that usual. Could it be that he was starting to fall for Ryuuko?

Nori's POV

Oh, dear Hakua, not again! Why was she so prone to accidentally witnessing such things?

All Nori had wanted was to eavesdrop on whatever conversation the Royals were having. But somehow, she ended up hiding behind a corner with her hand clamped over Kou's mouth.

_Are all counterparts like this? _

_"…Morwi?"_ Kou somehow managed to whisper, despite the hand firmly holding his mouth shut.

"Shut it!" the Neutral snapped as quietly as she could. "Just keep quiet and under no circumstances, regardless of what you hear, do not look around this corner or let anyone see you."

_"Mhere ahrf ymm gowbing?"_

"To investigate," Nori playfully winked, pointing to around the corner.

_"Mkay…"_ Kou narrowed his golden eyes skeptically.

Nori poked her head around the corner, which was something she seemed to be doing a lot today. Ryuuko and Shirogane were standing extremely close to each other. If she didn't know better, she'd say they were about to kiss or something like that.

They seemed to be preoccupied with each other for the time being, so Nori took that opportunity to get a better view. In a flash of grey light, she was sitting atop a large white orb floating over a tall pillar.

_This should prove to be entertaining. I just hope Kou doesn't try to watch any of this. Who knows how it'll affect him… _

Ryuuko's POV

"I… I l… love… you…" Shirogane mumbled, desperately avoiding making eye contact.

Ryuuko's smile widened with every stuttered word.

_Finally!_

"Your face is red," he teased.

"Shu… shut up!" Shirogane's blush reddened.

Ryuuko pulled the stuttering Shin into a gentle kiss. This time, the silver haired Shin actually kissed back. He could feel his counterpart cling to his white coat and entwine his hand in his long raven hair. Everything felt so perfect; like a dream from which Ryuuko never wanted to awake from.

But reality was a coldhearted mood killer.

_ "Ryuuko-sama…"_ Kou's voice quietly echoed through the open space.

Ryuuko nonchalantly looked past Shirogane's shoulder. The large white wolf was sitting next to a corner, and looked pretty shaken up about something. The wolf suddenly looked up at something off to the right. Ryuuko followed his gaze and spotted Nori.

The Neutral was sitting atop a large white orb. She sighed, and then mouthed the words "Maudite chien…" to Kou.

_Kou? Nori? This is not good… _He though, trying to conceal the awkward and likely suspicious look on his face with an even more awkward smile. _Shirogane, I beg you, __**please**__ don't notice them._

Almost as if the Shin was deliberately ignoring Ryuuko's silent pleading, Shirogane turned around, and saw them.

"I should go…" he muttered as he strode past Ryuuko. His porcelain face was flushed a bright red.

"Shirogane, wait!" Ryuuko called, chasing after his counterpart.

No matter how quickly he pursued the Shin, he was too fast, and eventually escaped his sight completely. It was hopeless. Everything that could have been was nothing more than shattered hopes and dreams.

Ryuuko dropped to his knees. "Shirogane!" he cried. Hot tears began to fill his saddened ruby eyes and plummet down his cheeks. "…I love you…"

* * *

**It literally broke my heart writing the ending. -starts crying- Poor Ryuuko! -blows nose in Kleenex-**

**I hope that your heart just shattered into a billion pieces after reading this. **

**I wonder what happens next... ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again! I finally managed to finish chapter 6! I'm not sure if you guys noticed, but I'm trying (and surprisingly succeeding) to update monthly. Also, if the random French is confusing, there's a glossary-like thing at the end of the chapter.**

**starfruit-kitten: **Disclaimer time... *sigh* I, starfruit-kitten, do not, never have, and likely never will own Monochrome Factor or any of it's characters.

**Kou:** Woof! (Enjoy the chapter!)

**Warning: this chapter contains language not suitable suitable for young children (in more than one language), randomness, some OOC (mostly Kou), and Shirogane. Read at your own risk.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Kou's POV

It had nearly been a year since the day everything seemed to take a turn for the worst. Ryuuko-sama and Shirogane were hardly speaking with each other. But when they did, it was strictly related to the slight imbalance of light and shadow. Shirogane didn't make eye contact with the Royal Rei, and Ryuuko rarely smiled genuinely around the douche bag that was the Royal Shin. And to top it all off, it was all Kou's fault, despite being told otherwise by a certain Neutral.

Since Ryuuko-sama wouldn't talk about it and asking that demon seed that everyone called the Royal of Shin was the last thing he'd _ever_ want to do, Kou decided to take matters into his own paws. This madness had to be put to an end as soon as possible!

It was for that very reason that Kou was going to the ShadowPalace to confront Shirogane. However, instead of going with Ryuuko-sama like he normally would, Nori was accompanying him this time. He just hoped that she would go along with his plan.

"Do you even have an idea as to how you're gonna get them back together?" Nori asked as they passed through the door to the ShadowPalace.

_"Well,"_ the wolf started. _"I was hoping to just wing it. But I do have a plan B in case Shirogane decides to be an ass."_

"Do you at least have a plan C in case plans A and B blow up in your furry face?"

_"That's so mean of you Nori…"_ the wolf childishly pouted as a stream of overly dramatic tears plummeted down his face.

"Well, do you?" The dark skinned girl folded her arms across her flat chest.

_"Nope."_

Nori stopped walking, "If that's the case, why am I here?"

Kou turned around and looked up at the Neutral. _"You are plan B." _

The Neutral chuckled, pulling a piece of black and white hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry; did you just say that _I'm_ plan B?"

_"Yup,"_ Kou continued towards the Shadow Palace. _"If that bastard won't cooperate, it's up to you to get him to the meeting point by any means necessary."_

Nori snickered, "What, do you want me to knock him unconscious with a shovel or something?"

_"I was thinking of tying him up, but that sounds like an even better option!" _

"Tu me blague, oui? S'il te plait, dit-moi que ça c'est tous une blague."*

Kou blinked. Why did Nori always have to switch the conversation to French when she's pissed off? Was it really that hard to speak in a language other people (and wolves) can understand?

_"I have no idea what you just said, so I'm gonna say… no…?"_

"Are you trying to get us both killed?" The Neutral practically screamed. Kou could now hear a loud ringing coming from deep inside his ears. "You know how Shirogane's been since that day. He's so emotionally _and _mentally unstable that he might strangle you to death if you do even the slightest thing to piss him off!"

_"And that's where you come in,"_ Kou grinned slyly as he continued to explain his master plan. _"Since he's probably gonna try to kill us, you…"_

"You just don't get it, do you?" The Neutral interrupted him.

_"Get what?"_

"The last time I tried to tease him about something he slapped me, ran me through with his katana, gave me the scariest death glare I've ever seen, and tried to decapitate me." She stated rather matter-of-factly. "Do you still want to go through with this plan of yours?"

Kou felt his eyes widen to the size of the baseball Nori would pelt him with every now and then. _I guess it's safe to say that he's gone berserk…_

_"If he decides to lash out on us for trying to help him…"_

"Yeah, yeah," the Neutral grumbled. "Knock him out, I know!"

_"Great!"_ Kou smiled._ "Let's go!"_

"Whatever, maudite chien,"* the Neutral growled. "Just remember whose idea it was to dig our own graves."

xXxXx

"Poochy! Nori-chan!" Lulu beamed as she tackled Kou into a girly bear hug of death. "Lulu missed you!"

_"Losing oxygen… can't breathe!" _Kou managed to choke out as the pink haired girl squeezed him even tighter._ "Getheroffgetheroffgetheroff!"_

"Hi Lulu," Nori calmly smiled, gently detaching the she-Shin from Kou's neck, allowing air to enter his lungs again.

_Oh, thank Neutral that's over!_ He thought as he collapsed onto the checkered tile floor of the ShadowPalace. Never before had the oxygen and whatever else was in the air in that place felt like a comforting hug from a friend.

"Poochy's here, but where's Ryuuko-sama?" asked the she-Shin.

_"He's not coming today,"_ Kou panted, still lying on the ground. _"Do you know where Shirogane is?"_

The large breasted Shin smiled, but said nothing.

Nori sighed, "Maudite chien," she bent down and ruffled Kou's white fur, and then turned back to Lulu, "Kou said that Ryuuko will not be joining us today. We came to have a word with Shirogane. Do you by any chance know where we can find him?"

"Lulu does!" she exclaimed. "But Shirogane-sama is super grumpy and doesn't want to talk to anyone!" The twin tailed Shin pouted, folding her arms in such a way that it made her large breasts appear even bigger than usual. Kou couldn't help but to gawk for a brief moment.

"Don't get any ideas, unless you really do want to be neutered," Nori softly whispered into Kou's ear. "If you want to make an attempt to violate innocent girls, then try me. I dare you."

_Was that supposed to be a threat? Or was that her way of saying I have permission to…_

"Of course not, dumb ass! Aller te faire foutre!"*

Shirogane's POV

Shirogane had spent every agonizingly endless day for the past almost-year feeling depressed, easily enraged, and sorry for himself all at the same time.

He hates Ryuuko, yet he doesn't know what he feels for Ryuuko. He wants to be with the Royal Rei, but he never wants to see him ever again. Why was he feeling like this? It wasn't like him to get so worked up over such useless and time-consuming things. Had he finally lost whatever sanity he had left? Was this how humans felt when dealing these kinds of things? No, it wasn't all humans that experienced these emotions, mostly women did anyway. Was it possible that he was slowly turning into a woman?

The Shin thought about all the possibilities as to why he felt the way he did, most of which were rather disturbing. But in the end, it was no good. His heart, assuming he even had one, was like a dried up river. He would never be capable of truly loving anyone. All he wanted to do right now was to curl up in a corner and cry.

Crying… it didn't fit his cold and bitter character…

No matter how much the tears kept pushing forward, he made sure that they wouldn't see the light of day, the dark of night, or whatever time of day it was. There was no way he would _ever_ risk being seen as such a weak mess by anyone else.

There was no way… he would…

"Nori-chan, wait!" Lulu's voice echoed through the hallway outside the Royal's bedroom.

"Woof!"

_Was that Lulu… and Kou…? _

Suddenly, the door to his room flew open, sending a giant gust of air in all directions. As the Royal of Shin turned around, something grabbed his long silver locks and started to pull him towards the door.

"What the hell is going on here?!" he fumed, catching a glimpse of something grey and brown. "Nori, unhand me this instant!"

"Sorry Shirogane, but I'm gonna need for you to come with us," the girl asserted. "Please try not to struggle too much."

The Neutral started to pick up speed. She then sharply turned a corner, sending Shirogane flying off his feet and sliding down the hall on his back.

"You little bitch!" the Shin fumed, grabbing onto his hair to keep it from being ripped of his scalp. "That hurts! Release me!"

There were a few times when Shirogane had nearly succeeded to fight his was back onto his feet, but every time he got close to doing so, Nori would turn a corner and force the Shin down again.

Likely becoming irritated by the Royal's constant struggling; the girl finally came to an abrupt stop and dropped the silver mass of hair. Gathering up his long silver strands to keep them away from Nori, the Royal shot said thorn in his side the most hate filled, icy death glare he'd ever given anyone.

"If you keep scowling like that, I swear to god, your face will freeze like that." Nori rolled her eyes at the man.

A low growl came from Kou, who was following close behind.

"Kou says that if you value the pathetic excuse for a life you have, you'll come with us without resistance."

"Give me one reason why I should come with you!" he snapped as he got back on his feet.

The Neutral ran her fingers through her long bangs and heaved a frustrated sigh, "Well, while you've been sulking like a total pansy, the rest of us have been suffering because of this stupid awkward silence between you and Ryuuko."

"Lulu's so sorry for not telling Nori-chan and Poochy to leave," Lulu chimed in. "But Shirogane-sama needs to make up with Ryuuko-sama."

This was starting to piss Shirogane off. There was no way anyone, let alone a trio of brats, would get him to go see Ryuuko. And he would do whatever it took to keep them from doing so.

* * *

**Well, it's December... and you know what that means... snow, people wailing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs, despite the fact that they may sound like a dying whale while doing so, etcetra.**

**I'd like to thank the wonderful and extremely helpful EmeraldandAmethyst for the idea of having Kou as a matchmaker. Even though he's getting Nori to do all the dirty work, it was still his plan.**

***A guide to the French parts for the non-French speaking people:**

**"Tu me blague, oui? S'il te plait, dit-moi que ça c'est tous une blague" - dirrectly translated as "You're joking, right? Please tell me that this is all a joke"**

**"Maudite chien" - damn dog**

**"Aller te faire foutre" - directly translated as "Go fuck yourself"**


	7. Chapter 6 and a half

**Hello, dear readers! It's been a while since I've updated this... Sorry for the wait for anyone who was actually waiting for the next chapter, but never fear! Chapter 6.5 is here! Since chapter 7 is STILL a work in progress, please accept the events that occur somewhere between ch 6 and ch 7. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Monochrome Factor and you people know the rest.**

**Warning: Other than like two words, there is NOTHING I need to warn you about.**

* * *

**Chapter 6.5**

**Four hours, fifteen minutes ago…**

It had been a slow day for Ryuuko. The paperwork seemed to go on forever. It had been rather quiet lately with Shisui gone in search of his "children", Nori and Kou leaving to play with Lulu, and Shirogane avoiding him.

Sighing, the Rei signed the last part of a massive document regarding the imbalance, and placed it among other files and document scattered across his black desk.

There were days when Ryuuko would find himself hoping to wake up in another life. A life in which he wasn't the Royal Rei, have to do paperwork and close small tears whenever they appeared. He'd love to live the kind of life where he would relax and eat a whole cake with extra frosting without being nagged about it, have a pet cat, and not be hated by Shirogane.

It would be nice to get away from it all, but he knew that it was impossible. Every day, he'd wake up to the same life. Every day. Every single frigging day. It's not like he hated his life or anything. He got to meet lots of…interesting people, experiment with forbidden methods when he was absolutely sure no one was watching, and even fall in love.

Despite all that, he couldn't shake this nagging feeling that something awful would happen in the near future. Ryuuko didn't have any form of sixth sense like the other kings. The closest thing to a sixth sense he had was his gut feeling. And right now, that gut feeling was screaming death.

** Thirty two minutes ago…**

At long last, there was only one small document left to read through and sign. After completing nearly four stacks of paperwork, the Rei only had five more pages to read and sign when necessary.

Fortunately, there was a knock on the door before he could even start reading the damn thing.

"Come in," the raven haired man yawned. All that paperwork was finally starting to take its toll on him.

"I see you're still doing paperwork," Homurabi said as he let himself in.

Ryuuko sighed, "It can't be helped. Speaking of paperwork, don't you have any?"

"Meh," the redhead shrugged. "I'll do it later."

"You came here to visit Shisui, right?" Homurabi nodded. "He should be somewhere in Canada by now."

"Canada? Do you really think he'll find any of his 'children' there?"

"I don't see why not," Ryuuko grunted as he forced himself into a standing position. His tailbone was throbbing with pain from sitting for far too long. "That's where I found Nori."

"I see," the lesser king smirked, walking back out the door. "I'll inform Sawaki that I'm going to the human world. See ya!"

The door closed behind him with a solid click. Once again, Ryuuko was alone in his godforsaken office. He looked down at the last of the documents. He might as well get it done now.

**Twenty minutes ago…**

_CRASH!_

The deafening sound of something, likely a heavy vase, breaking woke Ryuuko from the nap he didn't realize he was taking. A bunch of shouting, girly giggling, and barking come shortly afterwards. The quarreling was so loud; it was almost as if it was coming from the other side of the door.

"Maudite chien! On est supposer de rester sillent!"* Nori hissed at Kou. Ryuuko didn't speak much French, but he knew that the Neutral was calling Kou a "damn dog". Whatever was going on out there, the Rei assumed that Kou knocked something over with his tail; Lulu started laughing, and Nori was now yelling at them to keep quiet.

After the bickering ceased, a knock sounded on the door. The door opened before Ryuuko could say that it was open. Naturally, the Rei expected for Nori to poke her head in and start teasing him about something or another. However, he was certainly not expecting a small cat to stroll into the room.

_A cat? I wonder how it got in here._

The cat had long, fluffy brown fur. Its face, paws, and tail were black and its mane was white. There was something about that cat that was suspiciously familiar, but Ryuuko wasn't quite sure what it was. Maybe it was the colour of its fur, or even the mischievous smirk that glinted in its pale grey eyes. Either way, Ryuuko wanted to pet it.

Hoisting himself out of his chair, then man started towards the fluffy feline. The cat began to brush itself against Ryuuko's legs, purring contently. The Rei, being a sucker for cats, smiled softly and bent down to stroke the cat's unruly fur. Before he could touch the cat, it suddenly bolted out the door and Ryuuko gave chase. He followed the cat down the wide corridors of the palace until it disappeared into an open door. Pushing the large door open, Ryuuko walked into the room. The funny thing about this entire situation was that this was his bedroom, and the cat was nowhere to be found.

"Forgive me, Ryuuko." Nori's voice sounded behind him. Ryuuko turned around to face the girl, only to see the door close. Was this some kind of prank? It wasn't like Nori to try to pull something like that. What was going on? More importantly, where did that cat go?

The Royal Rei sighed. There must have been some reason for Nori to confine him to his room. Whatever that reason may be, he decided to stay put for a while. Maybe he's take another nap…

Turning on his heel to face his bed, he stared at what lay in front of him: Shirogane. The beautifully pale man lay on Ryuuko's bed, fast asleep.

_This could be a problem._

**One minute ago…**

Ryuuko sat on the cream coloured rug next to his bed. If Shirogane didn't hate him, he would have been laying next to the silver haired man. But there he sat: anxious, confused, still thinking about that mysterious cat, and wondering what to do once his sleeping counterpart woke up. So far, he'd come up with jack squat! Nothing, zero, zilch, nada, shit all! He needed a plan of attack (not literally), and he needed one now. Maybe if he just acted indifferently, everything would be alright.

Unfortunately, his time for thinking had run out: Shirogane let out a groan and started to stir.

_This is definitely a problem now!_

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**Oh, snap! Looks like Ryuuko's gone into panic mode. And where ****_did_**** that cat go? What was so familiar about it? (Bwa ha ha!) **

**Reviews, critiques, suggestion, etc. are appreciated. Thank you for your time.**

**See you next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/R: It's been a while since I've updated this, huh? Well, it's been a while since I've even _seen_ a computer. Hehe, about this chapter... I tried to write a smut scene for this and change the rating, but as my best friend would say: "Failure level: OVER 9000!". So since this ****_technically_**** isn't smut, the rating will stay the same unless someone (no, that does NOT include you, Echo!) tells me to change it.**

**starfruit-kitten: **I do not own Monochrome Factor or any of the characters except the OC (Nori).

**Nori: **This chapter is sooooo messed up...

**Shirogane: **You don't know the half of it...

**starfruit-kitten: **Yeah... sorry 'bout that.

**Warning: This chapter contains language, partial smut, removal of clothing, Ryuuko, and other stuff not suitable for young children. Read at you own risk. **

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Chapter 7

Nori's POV

Nori and Kou's confrontation with Shirogane definitely could have gone better. After having his hair pulled and being called a pansy by the Neutral, Shirogane threw a colossal hissy fit. Although the outcome wasn't quite what Nori had expected, both she and Kou came out with less cuts and bruises than they thought they would. While Nori got a black eye because of the Royal's freakishly mean left hook, that damn wolf that got her into this whole mess hardly even got a scratch.

If it weren't for her, Kou would be dead by now! Just as the royally pissed off Shin was closing in on him, the Neutral managed to knock him out by dropkicking him in the back of the head. Unfortunately for the Royal, Nori happened to be wearing heavy-duty combat boots that day. Assuming that she hadn't kicked him too hard, Shirogane would wake up in a good hour or so. As for Lulu, she just stood there and watched.

Even though the Royal Shin was often crabby and always put on a damn scary façade to hide his "weaknesses", he was still a person with unpredictable feelings.

On their way out, the trio ran into Homurabi, who was off to visit Shisui. The scarlet haired king got a good laugh from the Neutral's detailed explanation of what had happened and where they were taking the silver haired man. Nori told him that she wasn't fond of using violence to accomplish things, only to get an unnerving smirk and a "What's wrong with violence?" from him before they parted ways.

And now, after lugging the unconscious Shirogane, who was surprisingly lighter than he looked, to the "meeting point", the only thing the trio could do now was to set the Ryuuko bait and hope for the best.

Shirogane's POV

Shirogane was slowly beginning to regain consciousness. The back of his head hurt terribly and everything he could see was unclear and hazy. Forcing himself into a sitting position, the Royal Shin took a moment to look around at his surroundings. He appeared to be in a large room with white walls, a variety of black and white furniture, and a large window which let the silvery moonlight shine through. The large canopy bed on which he sat was placed with the foot facing the door and gave off a subtle scent of lavender. Shirogane couldn't quite describe it, but there was something about the room that seemed to give off a peaceful and cheerful vibe. That's when it hit him. There was only one place he could possibly be: Ryuuko's bedroom.

This was bad. This was _very_ bad! Shirogane couldn't stay in this room any longer; he couldn't risk running into Ryuuko. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he almost hit something black and shiny.

That "thing" turned out to be Ryuuko's head.

_Shit!_

The Rei was sitting on the white shag rug next to the bed. His back was rested against the side of the mattress; one leg was hugged up to his chest while the other was extended in front of him. Absentmindedly playing with a piece of lengthy raven black hair, the man turned his attention towards Shirogane. Ruby orbs met sapphire for a brief moment, and then went back to staring into empty space.

"I see you're awake," the Rei spoke almost inaudibly. "Sleep well?"

Shirogane slowly nodded. The usually happy Rei wasn't acting like himself at all. Although it had nearly been a year since he'd been completely himself, this time was much different. Instead of smiling, even if he would be forcing himself to do so, his face was grim and emotionless. It was almost as if he were trying to act indifferently towards the Shin.

The Royal Shin was at a loss for words. What was he supposed to say to Ryuuko? They hadn't had a normal conversation in what felt like forever.

For the longest while, the large room was filled with total silence. Neither Shirogane nor Ryuuko said anything. The door was locked, the only window was jammed, and other than the moon, there was no possible way of telling how long they'd been stuck in there.

"Um," Shirogane decided to finally break the never ending silence. Ryuuko looked up from his place on the floor. A weak hint of a smile crept its way onto the Rei's face, but disappeared as soon almost as soon as it came. For once, his ruby eyes looked almost serious, but still full of pain. Shirogane had always thought that Ryuuko had beautiful eyes, but somehow hadn't noticed just how absolutely mesmerizing they truly were. A faint rosy colour crept its way onto the blue eyed man's cheeks. "I, umm… I'm sorry," he muttered as he shuffled to the edge of the mattress and closer to Ryuuko, "for everything."

Ryuuko smiled as he reached up to caress the Shin's cheek. His hand felt so warm and reassuring. "No, I should be apologizing to you."

"Huh? For what?" Shirogane gazed down at the Rei inquisitively.

"I don't know," Ryuuko shrugged before pulling the Shin off of the bed, onto his lap, and into a loving embrace. "But I'm sure some of whatever it is that we're saying sorry for was my fault."

"You're an idiot," the Shin whispered, burying his face in Ryuuko's shoulder.

The man chuckled, "Maybe, but I'm your idiot."

Shirogane pulled back just enough to look Ryuuko in the eyes. The taller man was smiling, and Shirogane couldn't help but to smile as well. Before they knew it, they were kissing. Said kiss ended far too soon for both their likings.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that." The ruby eyed man breathed before kissing his counterpart once more.

Shirogane let out a soft moan as Ryuuko's tongue slipped into his open, waiting mouth. The Shin arched his back into the kiss.

"N-nn…" Shirogane flinched, his bulge grazing lightly over Ryuuko's thigh. His face was flushed up to his ears and he pulled away quickly.

Ryuuko smirked, "Somebody's exited."

"Oh, shut up," the Shin hissed as he practically pounced onto Ryuuko, pushing him down onto his back, and started to assault the man's lips. His five seconds of dominance were short lived when Ryuuko rolled over, trapping Shirogane beneath him while he launched an assault of his own.

Their tongues danced and Ryuuko's hands found their way under Shirogane's shirt.

Shirogane wasn't sure how or when it even happened, but somehow Ryuuko had managed to remove the blue eyed man's coat, shirt, and belt without him even noticing.

Without warning, the Royal Rei grabbed Shirogane's growing crotch. "Ryuuko," the flustered Shin warned, desperately trying to suppress a moan. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"You, of course," the raven haired man purred, making his counterpart blush even more. He slowly began to rub the Shin's semi-erect member through the fabric of his pants, causing a lustful moan to escape Shirogane's rosy lips.

Without his consent, Shirogane's hips bucked forward as Ryuuko's hand slipped under the waistband of his pants and gripped his now solid member. The Rei started to pump at a steady pace and Shirogane couldn't keep from moaning.

"Ah, Ryuuko," he whispered as the other bit on his neck. His breaths were getting uneven. "Do you feel like we're being watched right now?"

Whether Ryuuko hesitated for a moment or not, Shirogane couldn't tell. "You're probably imagining things."

Shirogane's breath hitched when Ryuuko sucked on one of his nipples. He tried to utter a few words of complaint, but they seemed to have gotten lost in the moans that came from his mouth.

"You like that, huh?" though he couldn't see it, he could tell that Ryuuko was grinning like the idiot he was.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Whoever they were, wherever they were, imagined or not, if they _ever_ spoke of anything they saw, Shirogane would _personally _see to it that their severed head went to the Kokuchis!

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**A/R: *shivers* I'd hate to be the person who was watching them...**

**Well... I'm pretty sure I've emotionally scarred my bestie and peeved a few people off with this... Oh well, c'est la vie. Reviews, spirit-crushingly harsh critiques, and suggestions are greatly appreciated. **

**Merci beaucoup! **


	9. Chapter 8

**A/R: Well, it's a new chapter... enjoy?**

**I do not own Monochrome Factor.**

**Warning: this chapter contains mentions of the crappy weather Canada's been having lately (no offense to any other Canadians reading this, but you know it's true), and Homurabi. Read at your own risk.**

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Chapter 8

Shisui's POV

The frigid mid-spring air was cold, and the moon was nowhere to be seen in the heavily clouded sky. Despite the fact that it was April, it was still rather frigid outside. Patches of half-melted snow lay frozen by the cold air here and there. A violent wind blew across the never sleeping city, threatening to chill those foolish enough to venture out at that time of night to the bone. But then again, that part of Canada was known well enough for its inconsistent weather. On the upside, at least Shisui had missed the last dumping of snow.

For two months, Shisui had been searching for his "children", but was having no luck at all. His counterpart, Homurabi, had already found three. So far, he'd managed to locate one of five.

Though to be perfectly honest, Shisui _had_ found three, but they all looked so happy with where they were at. He couldn't bear the very thought of taking them away from their families, their friend, and the happy lives they lead.

However, if their lives were similar to the kind of life the green haired King of Rei once had, he'd offer for the to become a Rei. He was perfectly fine with whatever decision they made, but a certain silver haired Royal Shin would throw a fit if he ever found out.

Unfortunately, Homurabi had caught sight of him not bothering to make contact with one of his potential "children". Luckily, they were able to make a deal: the King of Shin wouldn't tell Shirogane, Ryuuko or anyone else about Shisui's decision if he agreed to do _anything_ Homurabi wanted for ten whole minutes whenever they were together. No questions, no arguing, no bartering, and absolutely _no_ trying to escape.

It actually felt more like blackmail, considering the things Shisui had to go through, but he could tell that Homurabi's heart was in the right place…at least he hoped it was…

It was starting to get rather cold outside, so Shisui decided to take shelter in an abandoned church. The temperature inside the small building wasn't much different from that outside, but it was an improvement. Thankfully, Shisui had planned for the occasion and brought a blanket with him.

Wrapping the thick wool blanket around his shoulders, Shisui sat on one of the long wooden pews and drew his knees up to his chest.

The King of Rei sighed, "At this rate, I'll be at this for the rest of my life…"

There were so many things on Shisui's mind; locating his "children", trying to forget about his old life and habits, and the thoughts of nearby people constantly echoing through his head. There were also times when the Rei felt like banging his head against a brick wall to silence the voices, but chose not to. It's not like it would do anything other than put him in even more pain anyway.

The Rei had been so deep in thought that he didn't even notice the door creak open, and a shadow to slip inside.

"Hello again, Shisui," the redheaded King of Shin purred as he hugged Shisui from behind and scaring him half out of his wits. "I've come to collect your payment."

_Oh, no…_

Shisui chuckled nervously, "H… Homurabi, weren't you just here a few days ago?"

Homurabi glared down at the Rei. Though he couldn't actually see it, he could still feel it. "What's your point?" he grumbled.

"No, it's nothing," the Rei smiled calmly and somehow managed to hide the panic in his voice. "I just thought you'd have other matters to attend to in the ShadowPalace."

The redhead shrugged, "I did, but I got bored after the first five stacks of paperwork."

"Is… is that so…?" Shisui's eye twitched.

"Yup," Homurabi grinned as he leapt over the pew and plopped down next to Shisui. "Besides, being with you is far more entertaining."

Shisui blinked, "How so?" What was it about him that the Shim found so amusing?

Homurabi shrugged, "Dunno," he stretched his arms out across the back of the pew, "but the faces you make might have something to do with it."

_Faces? Could he be referring to my face when we– _Shisui felt his face flush.

"And that would be a perfect example." The Shin grinned, though it was no ordinary grin. It was the kind of grin that made Shisui's heart race and his skin crawl at the same time.

"What's with the look?"

"What look? I thought you were blind, therefore unable to see my face." Homurabi made a good point…

The Rei King shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure how, but I can just feel it." _And it feels rather awkward_, he added mentally.

Homurabi snorted, "Well I'd love to see how much you can _feel_" he purred, leaning dangerously close to the Rei.

Shisui let out an exhausted sigh. He was in for a long, sleepless night…

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**A/R: Feel free to review, criticize, or whatever. Thanks a bunch! :3**


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Rant and Apologies: Hey, long time, no update, huh? hehe... sorry about that. I've been super busy lately with my class trying to go through nearly half a semester worth of core subjects in under a month. Not just in one core, but four. ****_Four!_**** Also, not long after the last time I updated one of my fan fic, my computer crashed, taking everything I'd written for the next chapter with it. :( I really don't like making excuses for not getting things done on time, but that's pretty much what happened. Again, very sorry. But, now that my computer's fixed, I can continue with these stories that no one probably wants to read anyway. ^_^;**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Monochrome Factor or any of it's characters. The OC (Nori) it mine though.**

**starfruit-kitten: **Man, it's good to be back!

**Ryuuko: **The suspense was killing me! :O

**Nori:** Ha ha, what suspense?

**Shirogane: **Couldn't you have just left me out of this? It's embarrassing.

**starfruit-kitten: **Aw, good to see you too, Mr. Grumpy Face! :D

**Warning: this chapter contains mentions of mild yaoi content, mild-ish language (okay, maybe not that mild), Ryuuko, Shirogane, flirting and something that may be kind of confusing. Strongly not recommended for homophobes and young children. Read at your own risk.**

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Chapter 9

Recap: _"You like that, huh?" though he couldn't see it, he could tell that Ryuuko was grinning like the idiot he was._

_Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Whoever they were, wherever they were, imagined or not, if they __ever__spoke of anything they saw, Shirogane would __personally__see to it that their severed head went to the Kokuchis!_

Nori's POV

Nori stared dumbfounded through the crack in Ryuuko's bedroom door. Never, in all her life, had she _ever_ witnessed such a thing. On the other side of the ivory coloured door, the two men she respected the most were having sex…with _each other_! Right now, Nori wasn't sure whether she wanted to squeal like a fangirl, or scream. But after the initial shock faded, the Neutral watched with newly found interest. She found it rather difficult to tell where Shirogane ends and were Ryuuko starts. All she could see was a sweaty heap of hair and kings.

And honestly, the Neutral left them alone for a good hour at most to work out whatever was going on between them, and when she came back to check on them, _it_ was already happening. What surprised the Neutral the most, however, was that his Royal Darkness, he who was always scowling and threatened to kill her on countless occasions was actually a bit of a slut in bed. Who knew?

The sound of heavy, uneven breathing and pleasured moans (most of which were Shirogane's) pulled Nori from her thoughts. Oh right, she was watching Ryuuko fuck Shirogane's brains out…

"Ah! R-Ry…uuko~!" cried Shirogane as Ryuuko slammed into him again and again… and again… and again…

_Merde!* This is so frigging awkward, _thought Nori. _But somehow, it's kinda hot…_

The Neutral couldn't take watching this anymore, but she found it incredibly difficult to avert her eyes. In short, she was stuck there; frozen in lace by both shock and unwanted arousal.

Nori glanced down at the expanding crotch of her white skinny jeans and sighed. Nori hated being born a guy. Now she had one more thing to take care of after the Royals finished up.

Ever since she first found out that she was a Neutral, everybody (Ryuuko and Shirogane) just assumed that she was a girl. She didn't blame them though, considering that she preferred feminine-looking clothing. She hated keeping secrets from her kings, and her actual gender was something that they ought to know by now. She would have told them, but it was against everything she believed in to make others feel like idiots. But after five years of going along with it, Nori had finally had enough! She had to set them straight, no... _he_ had to set them straight.

The Neutral would have continued on with _his_ mental rant, but the questionable sounds that Shirogane kept making were far too distractingly loud. Barely even a minute later, the two men climaxed. How the Neutral even knew that was beyond him, but the way Shirogane practically _screamed_ Ryuuko's name was a dead giveaway. Nori snickered a bit at that. He would never be able to see Shirogane the same way _ever_ again.

Ryuuko's POV

Ryuuko woke up to a band of late morning sunlight threatening to burn his retinas as well as the sound of footsteps outside his bedroom door. At first he thought it might have been Shirogane going back to the shadow palace, but then he felt something brush against his arm.

Shirogane lay sleeping completely naked next to him. His porcelain skin appeared to glow in the rich sunlight that shone in through the large window. His long silver hair fanned out across his pillow and the blankets on his side. He looked so much like a girl when he slept; like a sleeping princess waiting for a prince to come and wake her, err...him...with a gentle kiss. That certainly was an odd way of picturing the sleeping shadow.

Suddenly, the door flew open. Standing in the doorway was Nori, wearing a loose fitting grey t-shirt and black skinny jeans–not as feminine as she normally dressed–and looked fairly shaken for some reason. "Tabernak,"* she mumbled just loud enough for Ryuuko to hear. Ryuuko watched as the Neutral's face flushed a dark beet red as she covered her pale grey eyes and turned her back to him.

"Ryuuko," she started. Her voice sounded abnormally deeper than it should be. It almost sounded like that of a guy to be perfectly honest. Maybe she'd come down with a cold? "For the love of all thing sane, it's already past noon! Wake Shirogane up, put some clothes on and meet me in the library." She said as she strode out of the room.

The raven haired man stared at the open door dumfounded. What was that about?

The Rei shrugged and then leaned over to give his sleeping lover a quick peck on the cheek.

"And that means no flirting with his Royal Darkness right now!" Nori's guy-like voice (seriously, was she sick or something?) bellowed from down the hall.

"Who was that?" Shirogane yawned, stretching himself out across the mattress.

Ryuuko swung his bare legs off the side of the bed and stood up. "It was Nori. She said she needed to talk to us about something."

The Shin rubbed at his eyes, clearly still half asleep. "Her voice sounded deeper," he yawned again, turning so that he was lying on his front and facing Ryuuko. "Is she sick?"

"I don't know, maybe." The Rei pulled out a red t-shirt and a pair of black pants from a drawer. He heard his counterpart whine a bit when he put on the pants. Ryuuko smirked, pulling the shirt over his head. "Sorry, did I take away the view?"

"Yes," Shirogane pouted.

"How are you feeling?"

"My ass hurts like a bitch thanks to someone."

Ryuuko snorted. Shirogane always did have a habit of cussing like a trucker... "Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you the one begging for more?"

"Maybe, but you didn't _have_ to fuck me senseless."

"Not my fault your sluttiness turns me on."

An pleasant smile stretched across the shadow's face. He would have looked happy if not for the menacing aura he gave off. "Repeat _any _of this to anyone and I will see to it that your balls are mounted on a second-rate tavern wall." he stated darkly, reaching for his pants that draped over the canopy of Ryuuko's bed.

"Ooh, scary! And I suppose you'll be seducing me to death?" He couldn't even say it with a straight face.

"Whatever works best." said Shirogane as he went about the room in search of the rest of his clothes, purposely swinging his hips.

"Come on," urged Ryuuko, reluctantly turning away so not to jump the man right then and there. "If we don't hurry, Nori will have both of our balls on a tavern wall."

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**I had way too much fun writing that last flirty bit than I probably should have.**

**Anywho... **

***The French words:**

_Tabernak_ - dirrectly translated as "fuck"

_Merde_ - shit, crap, etc.

**Reviews, suggestions, critiques, typo point outs and whatever else you have to throw at me (please, no rocks, bricks or stray cats) are greatly appreciated.**


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